Overview
- Two EA-18G Growlers from a Whidbey Island squadron collided during a Mountain Home Air Force Base air show on Sunday, and all four crew ejected and are in stable condition.
- Base officials canceled the Gunfighter Skies event after the crash, secured the area, and reported no injuries on the ground.
- The aircraft were EA-18G Growlers, an F/A-18 variant built to jam enemy radars and radios, flown by Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
- Videos shot by spectators show the jets make contact, appear to lock together, then fall as four parachutes open and black smoke rises from the impact.
- The show was the base’s first since a 2018 fatal incident, a history that has renewed focus on how close‑formation demonstrations manage risk.